The Indiana State sentinel., 1887-04-06
TAKING IN A HooSIER.
He Bets Twice on Sure Thin and Loses
Four Hundred Dollars.
lChicago Special to n. Y. sun.ll

lChicago Special to n. Y. Sun.li
A seedy looking gambler, with half a
weeks growth of black stubble on his
cheeks and chin, sat in a barber shop on
La Sale street awaiting his turn, when an
acquaintance saluted him with the re-
mark, 'Guess they haven't been coming
very soft for you, eh?"
well, no, not very" was the lazy re-
ply; "but l made a winning on the cars
coming from Cincinnati. I'd been having
hard luck against the bank, and after buy
ing my ticket l had one pretty good silver
dollar left and two others not quite so
good. Ever see one of these" and be pro-
duced a metal dollar .he surface of which
had been treated with an application OF tin
foil, so that it looked like the scaliest
counterfeit.
"That's what / took the trick with" the
gambler remarked. "Ill tell you how it
was done. The train was about half way
between Cincinnati and Indianapolis when
l scraped acquaintance with a fly young
Hoosier-one of those smart young fellows
that know ii all when at home, and think
that nobody can get the best of them. l
told my new friend that l had been to
Cincinnati to bury my brother. and that
was on my way back to indianapolis to
work at my trade. l told him was an
iron moulder and looked it. After a
while something was said about cards, and
he proposed game of seven-up for
81 game. allowed that
didn't know enough about cards
to play for money, but l guessed I'd go
him once for 90 cents. OF course lost the
first game, and then / said | must have re-
venge and I'd make it double or quits. He
agreed, and l lost the second game. He
wanted to give me satisfaction, but
wouldn't play any more with an expert.
That seemed to tickle him very much, and
he said he supposed he was rather smarter
than the average, and, while he wouldn't
take any advantage Of green hand like
me, he was well posted on all gamblers
tricks. Tll show you some Of 'em, says
he. / says; Wait till l settle up and
| then handed him this here dollar.
"'Oh,' says he,' you don't expect to
work that on me, do you?
"'Work what? l says.
"'Why, that's a counterfeit"
Il declared it wasn't, and he then got a
| little hot, and offered to bet me two to one
| il was bogus coin. 1 hesitated, and he
made it ten to one. l said hadn't much
money, but I'd bet him $50 against 5000
| the dollar was good one. / pulled out
my pocketbook, which had nothing in it
| but pawn tickets, and made bluff to open
| it. ] had seen the conductor come into
| the car Just then, and 1 proposed having
| him decide. This was agreed to, and he
| held his roll in his hand, and / held my
pocketbook ready to open it, while we told
| the conductor the bet and asked him to de-
| eide. The conductor first thought the
| dollar was counterfeit, but something in
| the weight and ring of it made him hesi-
| tate, so he pulled out his jackknife and
| scraped of little of the tin-foil, and then
| handed the coin back. It's as good q
| silver dollar as ever was minted,' was his
| decision, and then he passed on. The
| young fellow forked over the 500, and
looked as II he'd faint away.
You see," continued the gambler as be
| got up to take vacant barber chair" ''it
| had been fixed to look like a counterfeit
| but it wasn't. Then l sympathized with
/ the young man and told him way to gel
| even. / handed him a dollar that looked
/ Just like the other one, and advised him tC
/ play it on Joe Morris, friend OF mine, who
had been looking on at distance, but pre-
| tending not to see anything. So, to give
| the young man chance, | moved my griI
| into the forward car, and he tackled Morri,
| by asking him to change dollar. Joe wa.
| ready to oblige him, but handed back the
| coin with the remark that il was no good
| Then they got to betting and after they haC
| up about $500 side they left it tc the con
ductor again. This time, wheE the SON
ductor took out his knife, he scrsped out /
| chunk of lead, and he handed il back anI
| said Counterfeit? / should think so-ont
! Of the snidest | ever saw 1t cost tha
| young Hoosier Just 800 to fno out tha
| two pieces Of money may look just alik,
/ and be very different